Heathrow loses battle over Crossrail fees

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) will not have to pay millions of pounds a year to the owner of the Heathrow airport rail link after the High Court upheld a ruling over track access charges for Crossrail trains.

Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) challenged the Office of Rail and Road’s May 2016 decision that the airport owner was not entitled to charge fees of up to £463 per train, a figure that could have added around £47million each year to Crossrail’s operating costs.

Transport for London will not now have to pay additional access fees to run Crossrail trains over the Heathrow rail link, which was privately financed and built by the airport and leaves the Great Western Main Line at Airport Junction, west of Hayes & Harlington. NETWORK RAIL

The threat of new services between the city centre and its main airport being withdrawn altogether has now receded after the High Court sided with the ORR.

HAL financed and built the link between Airport Junction, on the Great Western Main Line, and Heathrow Airport and believed it was entitled to charge TfL for use of the branch by Crossrail trains from May 2018, to help offset the historic costs of construction.

Read more in the July 2017 issue of The RM – on sale now!

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